Spring-loaded shelf bracket



Aug. 25, 1959 o. N. GREDELL SPRING-LOADED SHELF BRACKET Filed April l, 1957 INVENToR. I Uffa /V. 6/eae// BY A TTOQNEK 'nited States Patent ce 127,901,206 Patented Aug. 25, 1959 SPRING-LOADED SHELF BRACKET Otto N. Gredell, Kansas City, M0., assignor to Standard Steel Works, Inc., North Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Texas Application April 1, 1957, Serial No. 649,920

8 Claims. (Cl. 248-246) This invention relates to shelving structure, and more particularly, to a combined bracket and support or standard wherein the shelf-supporting bracket may be adjusted quickly and easily by vertical reciprocation along the standard without need for tools or the necessity of releasing clamps or other holding fixtures.

It is the most important object of the present invention to provide shelving structure wherein is included novel means for assuring instantaneous and positive holding of the bracket in a selected position following adjustment thereof and upon release of the bracket for return to its operating position with respect to the standard.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide shelving structure having parts permitting the use of relatively fine, close-spaced serrations as the holding medium for the bracket and adapted therefore, to be easily, quickly and inexpensively produced in the standard as it is roll-formed.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a snap-on type bracket for shelving having means associated with its standard to positively and effectively prevent horizontal swinging, as well as lateral twisting with respect to the standard as a result of the loads which the bracket must support.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a spring-loaded shelf bracket made pursuant to the instant invention, parts being broken away for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, elevational View of the bracket, its standard being broken away and in section to reveal details of construction.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line V--V of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the direction of movement of the bracket as it is snapped into place associated with its standard.

The component parts of the shelving structure illustrated in the drawing include a support or upright standard broadly designated by the numeral 10, and a bracket 12, the latter of which is adapted to support a shelf through the medium of a lateral flange 14 at the uppermost edge of web portion 16 of the bracket 12.

The standard is substantially U-shaped transversely thereof as seen in Figs. 1 and 6, presenting a bight or back 18 and a pair of sides or legs 20, each of which is in turn provided with a rearwardly-facing stop or hook 22 coextensive in length with the height of standard 10. It is seen, therefore, that each of the legs 20 is adapted to receive a plurality of superimposed brackets 12 through the medium of its hook 22.

To the end that the hooks 22 function in part in supporting the bracket 12, yet permit vertical adjustment thereof, a cooperating abutment or hook 24 is formed on the bracket 12 which faces outwardly and, therefore, interlocks with the hook 22. It is to be noted, as best seen in Fig. 3 for example, that the hook 24 is disposed adjacent the horizontal plane of lateral flange 14 and, therefore, at the uppermost and rearmost corner of web 16.

The rear wall 18 of the standard 10 cooperates with the hooks 22-24 in holding the bracket 12 in adjusted positions and to this end, a longitudinal, vertical rib 26 is formed in the wall 1S for each hook 22 respectively, and at the same time, a plurality of relatively fine, closeyspaced, horizontal serrations 28 are formed or rolled into the inner, forwardly-facing surface of the rib 26. Structure in the nature of small serrated block 30 secured to the web 16 at its lowermost and innermost corner, meshes with the serrations 28 when the bracket 12 is in the operative load-supporting position as seen in Fig. 3.

Means for yieldably maintaining the interlocking hook mechanism 20, 24 interlocked and at the same time maintaining the block 30 operably associated with the serrations 28, takes the form of an elongated, slightly bowed leaf spring 32 interposed between serrations 28 and lateral ange 34 forming an integral part of the web 16 at the rearmost vertical edge of the latter. It is to be noted that the flange 14 is cut away to accommodate the leg 20 and its corresponding hook 22 and that the ange 34 is cut away to clear the block 30 disposed therebeneath.

Leaf spring 32 is mounted on the flange 34 through the medium of a suitable fastener 36 and by means of an ear 38 extending laterally therefrom through an opening 40 formed in the ange 34 below fastener 36. The uppermost end of the yieldable means (spring 32) is formed to present a transversely arcuate shoe 42 which embraces or straddles the rib 26 without meshing with or being obstructed by the serrations 28 as the bracket 12 is adjusted vertically in the manner hereinafter explained.

The interlocking hooks 22-24 afford lateral stability for the bracket 12 and one face of the web 16 bears against and is held in engagement with the hook 22 by an ear 44 formed laterally on the flange 34 near its lowermost end and extending rearwardly into sliding engagement with the rear wall 18 between rib 26 and leg 20. Thus, hooks 22 and 24, spring 32, i.e., its shoe 42 and the ear 44, all cooperate to maintain the block 30 in meshing relationship with the serrations 28, preventing horizontal swinging movement of the bracket 12 relative to support 10 and preventing bracket 12 from twisting in a direction moving block 30 toward or away from the legs 20.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the bracket 12 may be easily and quickly inserted into the support 10 and snapped into place in the manner illustrated by Fig. 6. Bracket 12 need merely be swung slightly at an angle and thereupon forced horizontally into place in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 6, thereby exing the spring 32 and permitting the positioning of the hook 24 into interlocking relationship with the hook 22.

When it is desired to adjust the position of the bracket 12 vertically, it is but necessary to tip the bracket 12 upwardly at its outermost free end, thereby swinging the bracket 12 about hook 24 as a fulcrum against the action of spring 32 and moving the block 30 out of meshing relationship with the serrations 28.

With the bracket 12 thus held in the tipped position, the operator may shift bracket 12 vertically along the standard 10 as hook 24 slides along hook 22 and as the shoe 42 slides freely along the rib 26. As soon as the bracket 12 is released, spring 32 automatically causes the bracket 12 to swing back to the operating position shown in Fig. 3 where block 30 re-engages the serrations 28 and ear 44 returns to its normal position between rib 26 and the proximal leg 20.

In the operating position, spring 32 functions primarily 3 to yieldably holdithe block 3031ocked against the serrations 28, but also to maintain the hook 24 in interlocking relationship with the hook 22.

It is important to note that the points of contact -between bracket 12 and -support 10, i.e., between hooks 22 and 24, between block 30 and serrations 28, between ear 44 and rear wall 18, and between spring 32 and rib 26, are all in substantial alignment with the vertical plane of web 16. This is accomplishedlby a lateral offset of that part of the bracket 1-2 adjacent the standard 10and rearwardly of the rearmost end of flange 14 as best seen in Fig. .1.

Thereupon, to reinforce the bracket and prevent the presentation of a line of bend adjacent to and within the zone of hooks 22 and y24, the `web 16 is provided with one or more reinforcing corrugations or lateral .bulges 46 that extend across the hook 22 and terminate adjacent the lateral flange 34. Such reinforcement 46 permits the alignment of the support-engaging parts of the bracket with the web 16 and manifestly,.there isan advantage to such alignment so far as load-supporting characteristics of the bracket 12 are concerned.

It is not without signicance to note that the manner of inserting an adjustment of the bracket 12 with respect to standard 10, permits the use .of a pair of relatively closely disposed hooks 22 and that the substantially straight, horizontal and vertical movements of the bracket 12, permit mounting andadjustment in confined spaces such as adjacent walls or other shelving where it might well be desired to mount or support the standard 10. Fine adjustment vertically is permitted by virtue of the nature of the serrations 28 and the use of-serrated block 30 as is obvious from the drawings.

Having .thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters VPatent is:

1. Shelving structure comprising an upright support; and a shelf-supporting bracket extending laterally from the support, said support and said bracket having interlocking hook means and interengaging lock means for holding the bracket against movement relative to the support when a load is placed on the bracketl the lock means being spaced below the hookmeans, permitting swinging ofthe outermost end of the bracket upwardly to disengage the hook means and the lock means.

2. Shelving structure comprising an upright support having a back and a side; a shelf-supporting bracket extending laterally from the support; a stop on said side; an abutment on the bracket engaging the stop; and structure on the bracket engaging said back for holding the bracket against outward and downward swinging movement, said back and said structure having means for holding the latter against downward movement when a load is on the bracket, said structure being spaced below the abutment, permitting swinging of the outermost end of lthe"bracket` upwardly to disengage the abutment fromv the stop and the holding means ofthe back and structure.

3. In shelving of the kind described, an upright support havingla serrated, vertical surface and an elongated, vertical hook spaced outwardly from said surface; a shelfreceiving bracketextendingl from the support and partially interposed between the hook and the surface; a hook on the bracket interlocked with said hook on the support; and structure on the bracket between the hooks and said surface meshing with the serrations of said surface.

4. In shelving as set forth in claim 3 wherein is provided resilient means between the bracket and the support for yieldably biasing said structure against the serrations.

5. In shelvingas set forth in claim 3 wherein is provided resilientmeansbetween the bracket and the support for yieldably holding the hooks interlocked.

6. In shelving as set -forth in claim 4 wherein said resilient means `yieldably-holds the hooks interlocked.

7. In shelving as set forth in claim 6 wherein said resilient means is attached to the bracket and engages said surface.

8,'In shelving as set forth in claim 7 wherein said structure is below the resilient mean; and the hook of the bracket whereby the structure is released from the serrations as the bracket is tipped upwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent vUNI-TED vSTATES PATENTS 498,945 Smith June 6, 1893 634,091 Newlee Oct. 3, 1899 2,329,815 Attwood Sept. 2l, 1943 2,674,431 Attwood Apr. 6, 1954 

